Air cleaner



Dec. 1, 1936. w. c. WILSON AIR CLEANER Filed Dec. 29, 1934 2sheets-559st 1 Dec. 1, 1936. we. WILSON AIR CLEANER 2 Sheet-Sheet 2Filed Dec. 29, 1954 s'an Patented Dec. 1, 1936 PATENT OFFICE Am CLEANERWalter G. Wilson, Monrovia, CaliL, assignor to 7 InternationalHarvester, Company, a corporation of New Jersey plication December 29,1934, Serial Mir-159,69 v

7 Claims. (01. 183-10) v This invention relates to an air cleaner. Morespecifically, it relates to an air cleaner utilizing a wetted filteringmaterial particularly adapted for use on'internal combustion engines. 8In cleaning the air to be used in internal combustion engines, it isnecessary that a high degree of removal of impurities be attained. Ithas been found that forcertain types of dust particles only a liquid,wetted filtering mass is efiecl tive to remove a satisfactory percentageof such particles. The Wilson Patent No. 1,838,513, December 29, 1931,shows an air cleaner particularly designed to mix a liquid wetting agentwith the air prior to its passage through a filtering material, wherebya continually wetted and washed filtering medium is presented to the airbeing cleaned. In the use of air cleaners as dis: closed and claimed insaid patent, certain prob- .lems have been encountered. It is to providean improved air cleaner to meet certain of these problems that thepresent cleaner has been constructed. p

The principal object, therefore, of the present invention is to providean improved, wetted filtering type of air cleaner designed to be moreaccessible forcleaning, to take care of the problem of backfire moreefliciently, and to provide means for securing the filtering material inposition against the efiects of vibration. These chjects and otherswhich willbe apparent from the detailed description to follow areattained. by a construction such as shown in the drawings, in

hich:., I

w Figure 1 is a vertical cross section through the axis of an aircleaner embodying the features of the invention; and, I

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the upper part of the air cleaner andthe lower part, with said upper part removed and tilted to show the. vinterior construction. In this view, the 011 reservoir is removed fromthe bottom, its position having been shown in dotted lines.

The air cleaner as shown may be considered as being formed in threesections. The intermediate section A consists of a cylindrical casing I0 provided with a conical top portion II, which is formed to providemeans for attaching the upper section B. Said top\ portion l l is formedto fit the flared upper end of a central air inlet member l2 positionedcentrally with respect to the casing l0. An air outlet l3 communicateswith the upper end of the casing In. A conical screen ll at the upperend of the annular space formed between the eas- 35' ing lll and theinlet member l2 confines the filtering material l5 positioned in saidspace at the upper end. An annular screen member l6 confines thefiltering material at theilower end of saidannular space. H

The bottom end ofthegeasing ldis formed 5 with an enlarged flange l.'l'in;whichuan annular member'l8 is seated. Said-member and said flange areformed to provide a reeess in'which a sealing gasket I9 is fitted. Theannular member i8 extends inwardly from the casing wall at an upwardangle and is provided with a series of openings 20 for the return'of'oil drainingfrom the upper filtering material .15. I

At the lower end of the inlet member 12, a flanged annular member 21supports the screen I 6 and is formed to provide a recess in which asealing gasket 22 is fitted; The member 2| is integrally connected byribs 2!! with the member l8, as best shown in Figure 2.

The lower section 0 of the cleaner consists of a lower casing section23- and ja cup-shaped liquid reservoir 24 telescopically fitted. overthe casing section, being provided with a head 25 which engages a flange25' formedonsaid casing section.

.At its upper end the casingsection is secured 25 to a member 26. Saidmember is formed with an annular outer flange :2'| which'engages thegasket is and with an annular inner flange 28, which seats against the'gasket'22. Said flanges are joined by ribs 29.. ,30

An air inlet member 30, which is a. continuation of the inlet member I2,is secured 'at its upper end to the flange 28 and terminatesonsubstantially the liquid level line which is'to bem'aintain'e'd at thebead 24' formed around the reservoir 24. A cylindrical wall 3|concentric with respect to the inlet member 30 and spaced therefrom toform end with a crimped-in portion 33 of the casing 40 -23. It will benoted that'the casing 23 is formed at its upper end of two overlappedsections of sheet metal. However, the casing will be referred to as aunitary construction. The crimped-in portion 33 of the casing is formedto provide a series of channels communicating at their upper ends withthe space between the wall 3| and the casing 23 and at their lower endswith the liquid reservoir 24, thereby providing return passages for oilfrom the filtering material,

The wall 3| terminates a substantial distance below the normal liquidlevel and below the lowerend of the inlet member 33 and is provided withan inturned flange which engages an annular 5F I rial 32, an annularscreen member 40 has been' the wall 3|.

member35. A conically shaped bottom member 36 securedto the member 35 isprovided with a central opening 31 for the inlet of liquid. A handle 38is secured to the bottom tor handling it during removal and replacement.

A conical screen 39 extends from the bottom of the inlet member 30 tothe bottom of the wall 3|, confining the filtering material 32 in theannular compartment formed by said elements. To prevent the shaking downof the filtering mateshown embedded in the filtering materialapproximately midway between the member 30 and terial having substantialrigidity whereby it reinforces the filtering material 32 and reduces thetendency ofsaid material to wear by vibration and to settle down due tobreaking down of the filter fibers. Preferably, the filtering materialis of a suitable gauge of wire properly crimped, a1- thoughotherfiltering materials may be utilized.

To secure the casing member in position against the gaskets I9 and 22,andto secure the reservoir 24 frictionally fitted over the lower end ofthe casing member, clamping rods 4| are secured to ears 42 on thecentral casing section II) and engage the outer ends of a cross member43 secured to the liquid reservoir 24. Wing nuts 44, threaded on saidrods, adjustably secure the reservoir and lower casing section inposition.

The upper section B of the air cleaner consists of air inlet means andmeans to catch the oil delivered by back fire. An outer cylindricalscreen 45 is mounted on the casing member ID and suitably securedthereto by brazing or by other suitable methods. Two spaced concentricscreens 46 and 41 are also mounted on the casing member l0. A top member48, having a flange fitted over the top of the member 45, is formed 7also with shoulders 49 and 50 to engage the upper ends oi. the screens46 and 41. Tie. rods 5| extending through the top member 48 and theportion ll of the casing in secure the screens in position at the top ofthe casing in. A conical screen 52 fitted within the top end of theinner screen 46 depends downwardly with the apex of the cone lying onthe axis of the inlet member l2. The screen 52 is filled with a fibrousmaterial 53 capable of holding by capillary attraction or by at thebottom of the inlet member 30 is carried upwardly through thefilteringm'aterial 32, being replenishable through the opening 31. Thecross sectional area oithe filtering material 32 is small enough toinsure entraining of the liquid and carrying of it there through duringoperation of the cleaner at difierent rates of air fiow. At the top ofthe wall 3| the air streamv carrying the entrained liquid enters thefiltering material l5, which is more loosely packed andis of a muchlargercross sectionalarea. Due to the decrease in velocity, the liquidflows out of the air stream 1; tion" is covered bymy prior Patent No.1,838,513.

In the" event oi' back fire, liquid at the bottom oi theinlet member 30is thrown upwardly throughsaidmembe'r through the inlet mem- Said screenis of a heavy gauge ma-,-

.has been found that the conical-shaped receptacle for liquid thrown byback fire is particularly efiective in both receiving and holdingtheliquid and in delivering it back into the air stream from the apex ofthe cone. There is no tendency for liquid dripping off the apex to bethrown out through the inlet screens during a subsequent back fire. Thisdifiiculty has at times been encountered in the constructions of theprior' art for the same purposes as disclosed and claimed in UnitedStates Patent No. 1,864,289 issued June 21, 1932, to Anglemyer et al.

In the installations of air cleaners of this type onautomobiles where itis desirable that they be positioned under the hood, difficulty has beenfound in locating the cleaner where the oil reservoir can be removed. Itis particularly to meet this problem that the cleaner as hereindescribed was developed. By forming the cleaner casing in two sectionswith gaskets as described, only a very small amount of verticalclearance is required, after loosening the clamping means, to slide thebottom section horizontally and to then remove it from' position. Thisdivision plane has been advantageously located at the division betweenthe two filtering steps, thereby forming ,1. An air cleaner comprising atwo section casing, the sections being separable in a horizontal plane,aligned vertical air inlet conduits in said sections, filtering materialpositioned in the sections in the annular spaces around, said conduits,an outlet from the upper section, a liquid reservoir formed in the lowersection, said lower section being formed to deliver air from the inletconduit therein to the bottom of the filtering material therein, andmeans for delivering liquid from the reservoir to the air stream' priorto passage into the filtering material.

, 2. An air cleaner comprising a two section casing, the sections beingseparable in a horizontal plane, aligned vertical air inlet'conduits in'said sections, filtering material positioned in the sections in theannular spaces around said conduits,- an outlet fromthe upper section; aliquid reservoir formed in the lower section, said lower section beingformed to deliver air from the inlet conduit therein to the bottom ofthe filtering material therein, means for delivering liquid from thereservoir to. the air stream prior to passage into the filteringmaterial, and means for returning oil draining from the upper filteringmaterial'to the reservoir in the lower section.

3. An air cleaner comprising a two section casing, the sections'being'separable in a horizontal plane, aligned vertical air inlet conduits insaid sections, filtering material positioned in the filtering material,the filtering material in the lower section offering sufficientresistance to enable the normal air fiow to carry liquid therethroughand the filtering material in the upper section being of a sufiicientlylow restriction to permit liquid to drop out of the air stream duringnormal air flow, and means for returning the liquid to the reservoir inthe lower section.

4. An aircleaner comprising an upper section having a central air inletconduit formed therein, filtering material around said conduit, an airoutlet means from said filtering material, a lower section detachablysecured to the upper section having a central air inlet conduit formedtherein in communication with the air inlet conduit of the uppersection, filtering material positioned around said conduit,communicating means .between the interior of the conduit and thefiltering material, said lower section being provided with a liquidreservoir in communication with the air passage, and means fordelivering oil from the upper section to the lower section out of thepath of air flow.

5. An air cleaner comprising an upper section having a central air inletconduit formed therein, filtering material around said conduit, an airoutlet means for said filtering material, a lower sec tion detachablysecured to the upper section having a central air inlet conduit formedtherein in communication with the air inlet conduit of the uppersection, filtering material positioned in the lower section around saidair inlet conduit, communicating means between the interior of the airinlet conduit in the lower section and the filtering material therein,means for delivering liquid Y to the air stream prior to entrance intothe filter ,of the lower section, and means to deliver oil from theupper section back to'said liquid supply means.

6. An air cleaner comprising a casing having a central air inletextending downwardly therethrough from the upper end, forming a chamberannular in cross section between the inlet and the casing, an air outletfrom the casing at the upper end thereof, filtering material positionedbetween the air inlet and the casing in the upper half thereof, andmeans forming a compartment for filtering material in the lower half ofthe casing annular in cross section and appreciably less in crosssection than the upper filtering vmaterial compartment, said casingbeing divided in a central location to permit removal of the lower halfof the casing together with the filtering material in that part of thecasing.

7. An air cleaner comprising an upper body portion consisting of spacedcylindrical walls, filtering material positioned between said walls, anair outlet connected with the outer wall above the filtering-material,an air inlet in communication with the interior of the inner wall, and alower section consisting of spaced substantially cylindrical walls inalignment with the walls ofthe upper portion, sealing means between saidwalls, an intermediate wall between said walls, filtering materialbetween the intermediate wall and the inner wall, the inner wall beingin communication with the space occupied by said filter- ,ing ,material,a liquid reservoir fitted over the

